RECIPE: Okra Pickles {Fresh or For Canning}

This recipe was modified from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving book.

We love okra in our household. I know some people either love or hate okra. We love it. And we also grow it VERY well here. John and I have both said on numerous occasions that if we had to make a full-time living as farmers selling something we grew ourselves, it could probably be okra. We fry it, grill it, roast it, put it in stir fry or jambalaya, and also make okra pickles! We always cut some up and store in the deep freezer to use throughout the year, but this year I wanted to get creative and find another way to preserve our okra and actually save and use the full crop we grew.

I decided to try and modify a recipe I found for Okra Pickles in the Ball home preserving book and it turned out to be delicious! My husband isn’t the biggest dill pickle fan, but even he likes these. I’m definitely the biggest fan of them, but he said they’re good. (He doesn’t love dill).

So, if you love dill pickles and if you love okra, you will love this recipe! It’s also a great recipe to learn how to can / preserve food with because it’s super simple and doesn’t take a lot of time.

I hope you try this and let me know what you think!

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RECIPE: Okra Pickles (For Fresh or For Canning!)

Looking for a unique use for all that extra okra you grew? Try these delicious and crisp okra pickles!

Course Snack

Cuisine Side Dish

Keyword canning

Prep Time 10 minutes

Servings 4 pint jars

Author still being [molly]

Ingredients

• 3-4 pounds Small whole okra pods, trimmed
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups white vinegar
• 1/3 cup pickling salt
• 2 tsp dill seeds
• 4 cloves garlic (whole)
• 2 small hot peppers (I used jalapenos)
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns (I used rainbow peppercorns)

Instructions

1. If canning, prepare jars and lids (follow instructions on your pressure canner or be sure to boil the jars and wash the lids and rings in warm soapy water)

2. In a large saucepan, combine water, vinegar, pickling salt, and dill seeds. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve salt. Reduce heat and keep warm until ready to use.

3. Take trimmed okra (I cut the stems off but I do not cut the pods) and pack trimmed side down generously into your clean, prepared canning jars.

   NOTE: If you're adjusting this recipe to just make one small jar for refrigerator okra pickles, you can ignore the rules about canning jars!)

4. Put 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 of a hot pepper (I used jalapenos), and peppercorns into each jar.

5. Ladle hot pickling liquid into each pint jar to cover okra, leaving 1/2" of headspace.

6. For canning: Wipe rim, center lid on jar, and screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

   For fresh: Put lid on jar, refrigerate until cold, and enjoy!

7. If canning: place jars in canner or a large pot of boiling water until they're completely covered with water. Boil for 15 minutes, then turn off heat and wait 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, check seal, and store.